How to dispose old mobile phones safely and responsibly

Smartphones are essential to modern life, but they’re also chock full of hazardous materials that are, as it happens, recyclable. Because of both these reasons (and more) local municipal councils and manufacturers alike offer recycling and e-waste disposal options. There are also several companies which will willingly take your old phone off your hands and either refurbish it or extract usable parts.

Here’s how to dispose of your old mobile phone safely:

Backup everything

Before proceeding further, be sure to take a secure backup of all your data. Then sign out of all services that are signed in on the device, manually remove the device from lists of authorised devices where applicable. If you have an eSIM, transfer it out or disconnect it. Only when you’re satisfied that you’ve completed the above tasks should you wipe your phone with a factory reset. If you have a physical SIM and/or microSD card, remove it from the device.

Lastly, if your device has a damaged or swollen battery, it’s imperative that you get a fire-safe container for storing and transporting the device, and that you dispose of the device as soon as possible. Batteries are a major fire hazard and also release toxic fumes when punctured.

Manufacturer recycling programs

Companies like Apple, Samsung, and more offer recycling programs where you can turn in your old device at an authorised service centre and have them handle recycling for you.

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You can get in touch by heading to their respective websites or by heading to an authorised service centre.

E-waste collection centres

Most municipal agencies will have some sort of local e-waste collection policy and designated e-waste collection zones. Simply contact them to understand how you can send your device for safe disposal or recycling.

Local repairwalas

Your local repair guy might also be happy to take the phone off your hands. They can strip the phone of useful parts and perhaps even resell it if it’s usable.

Donate working devices

Rather than let the phone go into an e-waste dump, donate working phones to people who need it. You can do this by approaching someone directly or by contacting NGOs and the like.

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Do not throw old electronics into regular waste bins. At the very least, you’re doing environmental harm by not recycling the product, but more importantly, the batteries in old phones are a fire hazard and you will trigger a fire somewhere. Recycle or repurpose old phones, but don’t discard them without proper precautions.